1,800 Kenyans win 2020 Green Cards, one of its lowest in years

The US State Department has released the number of Kenyans who won the DV-2020 Diversity Visa, popularly known as the Green Card Lottery.

Only I,801 Kenyans won, which is a drop compared to the last three years when more than 6,000 Kenyans won the Visa.

The lucky Kenyans were among 14,722,798 applicants from around the world who participated in the DV-2020 lottery.

On Monday the State Department gave a breakdown by country of winners adding that 83,884 applicants won the lottery and may now make an application for an immigrant visa (Green Card).

The top five countries that won the most immigrant visas are Egypt (5,568 winners), Russia (5,118), the Democratic Republic of Congo (4,743), Iran (4,101), Nepal (3,696) and Sudan (3,691).

LOTTERY

Other countries with the high numbers of winners included Algeria (2,745), Turkey (2,709), Cuba (2,703) and Morocco (2,202).

The Diversity Visa program makes 50,000 permanent resident visas (Green Cards) available to nationals of countries with low immigration rates to the United States.

Winners of DV-2020 participated in the lottery registration period was open online between October 3rd, 2018 and November 6th, 2018.

Those who participated in the lottery have until September 30, 2020 to check online if they won.

IMMIGRANT

In order to migrate to the United States on a Green Card, winners are required to submit an online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application (DS-260) to be scheduled for an interview at the US embassies or consulates located in their home countries, and to have received an immigrant visa by September 30, 2020.

According to data from the US State Department, a total of 442,966 Kenyans entered the lottery draw for Fiscal Year 2018.

A total of 5,263 Kenyan nationals were granted permanent resident status (Green Cards) in the first three quarters of 2018.

The number includes 2,934 individuals already living in the United States who adjusted their status and 2,329 new arrivals, and comprises all classes of admission including diversity visas/green card lottery winners, immediate relatives of US citizens, family-sponsored preferences, employment-based preferences, and asylees.

6,957 and 6,274 Kenyans were granted permanent resident status in 2017 and 2016 respectively by the US Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS).